The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Dendranthema grandiflora and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Yoelmira.
The new Chrysanthemum is a product of a mutation induction breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Fort Myers, Fla. The objective of the program is to create new Chrysanthemum cultivars with desirable inflorescence form and floret colors and good postproduction longevity.
The new Chrysanthemum originated by exposing unrooted cuttings of a proprietary seedling selection identified as YB-5908, to X-ray radiation in July, 1997, in Fort Myers, Fla. Following the radiation treatment, the cuttings were rooted and terminal apices were removed (pinched) three times to promote lateral branch development. After lateral branches from the third pinch reached sufficient size, terminal cuttings were harvested, planted and flowered in a controlled environment in Fort Myers, Fla. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within this population in March, 1998. The selection of this plant was based on its desirable inflorescence form and ray floret color.
Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by vegetative tip cuttings was first conducted in Fort Myers, Fla. in May, 1998. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Yoelmira has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Yoelmiraxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Yoelmiraxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum:
1. Compact, upright, somewhat outwardly spreading and uniformly mounded plant habit.
2. Small, durable, glossy, dark green leaves.
3. Very freely branching, dense and full plants.
4. Excellent plant strength.
5. Uniform flowering response.
6. Early flowering, eight-week response time.
7. Very freely flowering.
8. Small decorative-type inflorescences that are about 2.9 cm in diameter.
9. Light lavender-colored ray florets with white bases.
10. Can be grown as a natural spray-type.
11. Good postproduction longevity with inflorescences maintaining good substance and color for about three weeks in an interior environment.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from the parent selection and the Chrysanthemum cultivars Frosted Yoelmira (U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 09/594,758) and Yellow Yoelmira (U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 09/594,759) (both filed concurrently with this application) primarily in ray floret color.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Charm, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,502, in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more freely branching than plants of the cultivar Charm.
2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have smaller leaves and inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Charm.
3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more floriferous than plants of the cultivar Charm.
4. Ray floret color of the new Chrysanthemum is light lavender with white at the base whereas ray floret color of plants of the cultivar Charm is solid medium lavender.
5. Plants of the cultivar Charm tend to form double terminal inflorescences whereas plants of the new Chrysanthemum do not tend to form double terminal inflorescences.